BOISE, Idaho — Idaho will have a new secretary of state in 2023, for the first time in eight years. Current Secretary of State Lawerence Denney has decided to not seek a third term. On Thursday night, three candidates running to succeed Denney appeared in a live debate on KTVB.
Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane, State Rep. Dorothy Moon of Stanley and State Sen. Mary Souza of Coeur d'Alene are seeking the Republican nomination. The primary election on May 17 will determine which of those three candidates will face Shawn Keenan in the general election in November. Keenan is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and did not appear in Thursday's debate.
Video of the debate is posted at the top of this story and on the KTVB YouTube channel.
The Idaho Secretary of State oversees the state's election process. Here's some of what the candidates had to say about election integrity and security, a very hot topic since the 2020 election.
Where do you think Idaho stands on election integrity, and what changes do you think need to be made to Idaho's electoral process, if any?
Moon talked about a bill she brought forward, the "Secure Election Act." It was not adopted. Moon said it would have dealt with voter identification -- "making sure we use government ID" -- as well as proof of residency and citizenship. Moon's bill also would have prohibited the personal identification affidavit, a sworn statement voters can sign at the polls if they do not have identification with them. "We have smaller issues in this state, not as large as the battleground states that we saw in the 2020 election. However, if we don't take care of these small issues, they become big issues if we let them go."
Souza: Souza said she is a member of the Honest Elections Project, which is "a dozen legislators across the nation," she said. "I'm the only one that's not from a swing state. It is wonderful to meet with these people twice a year and with election experts and learn about what happened in those swing states that we did not see coming our way in Idaho. They did not see it coming to their states. We have a chance to learn from them and improve our security of our elections." The Heritage Foundation Election Integrity Scorecard ranked Idaho 38th out of the 50 states. That scorecard and Souza categorized laws -- or lack of laws -- on voter identification, proof of citizenship and residency, "ballot harvesting," unmanned ballot drop boxes and assistance in residential care facilities as "areas of vulnerability." The scorecard also penalizes Idaho for offering same-day voter registration at the polls. Souza also touted a bill passed this year that gives the Idaho Legislature the legal ability to intervene in court cases that might have to do with our existing election laws.
McGrane: "I believe Idaho stands out when it comes to our elections, both in their security and in terms of their access," he said. "Too often there are groups back East that think everyone lives close, but we all know out here in the West, we don't. Idaho's legislature has made our laws to fit Idaho, and I think that's so important to the integrity of our elections, and I'm proud to be part of the system that we have here." McGrane said Idaho needs to continue to build on training for clerks and election workers all over the state. He also mentioned cyber security, something that's now a major component of election security, but was not just a couple of decades ago. He also said Idaho needs to make sure voting is accessible, every registration that comes through is validated against Social Security, corrections and motor vehicle records to make sure people are qualified to vote. McGrane called early in-person voting at a county elections office or city hall the most secure form of voting "because of the database and tools we have... Ballots are printed right there... Information is communicated to all (voting) locations."
In addition to overseeing elections, the Secretary of State has a wide range of other duties and services. One example: business services, such as providing information for businesses or people looking to form businesses and maintaining registries of profit and nonprofit entities. The Secretary of State’s Government Services division produces state government publications, including Idaho’s Blue Book, which contains information about the state of Idaho, details of the structure of state government, and biographies of elected officials. Government Services also provides the Address Confidentiality Program for people escaping human trafficking, harassment, stalking, sexual assault or domestic violence.
The Idaho Constitution states that the Great Seal of the State of Idaho shall be kept by the secretary of state, and used officially by that officer.
The secretary of state also is one of five elected statewide officers who form the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, along with the governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and controller. That board provides direction on management of more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust lands and oversees the work of the Idaho Department of Lands.
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